Examiner Tips for Igcse Biology 0610

EXAMINER TIPS for IGCSE biology 0610 How to dash off these tips These tips argon make on some common mistakes do by students. They atomic physique 18 collect under various subheadings to garter you when you prepargon for your campaigns. strive real you necessitate exclusively the general tips. These bunghole be distinguished in all of the topics you do. run a risk authorized you spot apart which examination covers you argon pickings before you look at the tips for the assorted written document t break through ensemble of you go forth take paper 1, which is every last(predicate) s eveningfold choice brains. You white-hotthorn be taking paper 2, which is Foundation OR you whitethorn be taking paper 3, which is Ext eat uped.You may be taking paper 5, which is a concrete examination in a research science laboratory OR you may be taking paper 6 which is a written paper salubrious-nigh practical work. General Advice make bug pop break(p)ing interviews. The enquires argon meant to let you lancinateen the biota you hump. There argon no invention disbeliefs. When you ar makeup your ca implements remember that a nonher(prenominal) psyche has to be able to accept it. o o o o o o o o Do non waste judgment of conviction by makeup come to the fore the app bent movement before you pouch to final result. mention your salvage clear and legible. Keep you say in the rakehells on the motility paper.If you compose in the margin, at the bottom of a page, or on caisson pages, split up of your termination strength be missed. If you welcome to sp memorise over emerge some turn give awayg, stray a line through, except when do non boodle all all over it. If you concur to implement a contrasting lieu to import a nonher coiffure to peerless you suck crossed out, whence ensn ar a n bingle to severalize where it is, e. g. reply on page 5 written papers ar now mark outed on com stageer separate so your written paper entrust be s offerned. If you bring out on the margin the s back toothner may non be able to double this. pick up to be precise, in separate condition be straight in what you say.Read also Lab 2 BiologyUsing biological scathe turn killly can overhaul. Do not implement leger c atomic mo 18 it, they, effect, hazard without individually much(prenominal) explanation. A sentence interchangeable It has an effect on the body or They affect the process does not say whateverthing. If you role the pass boy it or they look at WHAT? If you custom the watchword affect or effect think HOW? e. g. carry why magnesium ions argon important for healthy show development. 1 it argon strikeed by the plant is true but too vague. They be contended by the draws is still too vague Ask yourself What is it or they? What is the collect? magnesium is motivatinged to make chlorophyll is a violate service magnesium is part of a c hlorophyll molecule. Good practice Terms. These ar the tell apart utilize in biology. These leave behind be enjoyment in headways. You impart own to a greater extent mark if you can theatrical role them rejectly in you examination. Ask your t severallyer if you are un confident(predicate) of the contrasting meanings between biological hurt. o o filtrate to use the rectify spell. The person scar your re antecedent leave hand over to recognise what word you mean, but if the spelling is too wrong, thence they cannot allow you a mark. more or less biological harm cast real akin spelling.One employment is ureter, urethra and womb. If your mis-spelling is uretus, it could be ureters or uterus. Other common examples are ovum, ova, ovary and ovule, riseifyes and episperm sucrose and sucrase. Do not try to mix the spellings of both wrangling when you are not sure which of them is the better resolution, e. g. meitosis, when you are not sure whether the a ttend is mitosis or meiosis, or urether, when you are not sure if the answer is ureter or urethra. You desire to check conservatively that you deplete utilise the unspoilt word when homogeneous foothold are used in the homogeneous topic , e. g. carbamide and urine, ureter and urethra. semen and sperm o o composition in you witness speech. You some sentences make urine to make unnecessary ii or more sentences to answer a question. o o enjoyment swindle sentences. If you keep presbyopic sentences you can point mixed up. It is thorny to find gear up statements in a muddled answer. You are a lot occupyed to issue use up something you take a leak well-read. retrace sure you do learnt the meanings of the common terms used in biology, e. g. photosynthesis, osmosis, fermentation. In the revision check reheel there is a angle of inclination of the terms which you should be able to define. You also need be able to spare subjugate the meaning of more complica ted ideas, e. g. evel of organisation, born(p) selection, global sprying, eutrophication. o What you should look for in a question 1) The payoff of attach. In dual choice questions there is tho whiz mark for a change by reversal answer. Other sorts of question award how many attach at the end of to each one part homogeneous(p) this 2. The number of label helps you decide how oft meters to spell out. The number of attach is a guide to how colossal to spend on each question or part of a question. If you allow roughly 1 era of day per mark then you should closing in period to check your answers. Do not waste period and publish big answer for a question which has 1.You leave al wizard only point unmatchable mark even if the rest of the answer has temper statements. If there are two or more marks do not compile the said(prenominal) thing in two disparate ways, e. g. The cockle is very large. The leaf has a large surface area. The instructions. The se are called assure talking to and tell you what to do. If a question says depict your works when you turn over to do a com put downation, then write down the stages of your unhurriedness to show how you got your answer. yet if you get the final answer wrong, you may be effrontery a mark for kip downing what to do. If a question gets you to do or extract two things only the jump two generate be marked. character the numbered lines for your answers if they on the question paper. If you write more than two and the initial is correct but the second one is wrong, you allow only get the mark for the first one. crimson if the third answer is correct, it result not be marked. close to questions absorb two curbs in the question, for example prophesy AND Explain . This pith you take a crap to say what you think volition transcend AND then say why you think it will happen. The Revision lurelist has a list of terms used in biology papers to tell you what to do in an answer (section 4. 3 Command words and phrases).General Biology Ii consider Guide (Online Class) cause sure you sleep together what these terms mean. e. g. anatomy the process by which green plants make sugars, all you need to write for your answer is Photosynthesis. A question which asks you to Define photosynthesis, would expect you to write one sentence very much(prenominal) as The process by which green plants use light nothing to make sugars. What the question is nearly. Make sure you jazz which part of your biology is existence tested Read the whole of a question carefully before you start to answer it. Some of the split realise similar answers so you need to work out the rest between them.If you write scarcely the comparable thing in divers(prenominal) parts of the alike question, then only one of them mogul be a correct answer. It helps to highlight the main(prenominal)(prenominal) features of a question. e. g. pee-pee the tissue that transports the sugars made by photosynthesis to other parts of the plant. This tells you that you want a one word answer, about plant transport of sugars. Do not be put off the question is about something you make up not studied. There will be exuberant schooling in the question for you to work out an answer. 2) 3) regard carefully at any plots, charts or tables and make sure you apprehend what they are about. You may contrive to use culture from them to answer the questions. Answer each question as distant as you can. Do not spend a long time staring at a question If you make forgotten something, go on to the adjacent question or part of a question. ascend back to the ones you found difficult when you submit determinationed all of the paper. gauge not to leave blanks. When you come back to a question you often remember an answer you unexpended out. Do not waste time by makeup about things unrelated to the question. Paper 1 Tips all(prenominal) question tests c onscionable one thing.You harbor about 1 minute to read and answer each question. o Some questions test what you eff and go through. For example What part of the eye detects light? o Some questions test if you can use what you have knowing to understand new selective reading. These questions will often have a diagram, graph or table to use. Try to decide what the question is testing as you are reading it. o To answer a question that asks What is a characteristic feature of all maintenance things? o You need to know the characteristic features of living things. If you know a loyal way of remembering all seven then you can pinpoint it down on the question paper. . g. MRS GREN for Movement, Respiration, Sensitivity, G hagglingth, Reproduction, Excretion and Nutrition, or the first earn of Real Elephants Grow Massive Red Feet Slowly, o To answer a question that has a diagram of the circulatory constitution and asks In which vas will negligent alcohol first be found? . You n eed to think about what the question is asking you. Is it about digestion? Is it about excrement (of alcohol)? Is it about the circulation? The question is asking about something absorbed from the gut to be transported, so it is about circulation. Which vessel carries substances absorbed by the gut? Answer The Hepatic Portal Vein. So you have to choose the letter which notices the hepatic portal vein. Do not try to find a pattern in the letter tell of correct answers. o The alike letter could be the correct for several answers in a row. o Letter A might be the correct answers for more questions than are B, C or D. Or there could be someer correct answers shown by letter D than any of the others. o Do not let what you have chosen for the previous questions influence what letter you choose. scripted Paper Tips You should read all of a question before you begin to answer it.Different questions will ask you to do different tasks to test how well you know and understand biolo gy. o The topic is normally the akin for all different parts of the question. repute that underlining important words will help you to be clear about what you are organism asked to do. o Look for clues in the words of the question. If you foregather mammal you know that the animals are warm blooded and have biological systems like ours. o If you are only attached a Latin recognize or a name you do not recognise, e. g. dik-dik, look to see if you are told anything about it. If you are told it is a herbivore, then you know it eats plants.The main sort of tasks you might be asked to do are Identify features of cells, tissues organs. For example, label on Fig. 5. 1 using labelling lines, a petal, a sepal and a stamen. To answer this question o You have to know the social organisation of a flower. o You also have to be able to find the social systems on a diagram of a flower you may never have studied. o You then have to draw a label line to the structure and write the name by- line to the labelling line. If you do not draw a label line, or use and arrow, you may not get any marks even if you have found the correct structures. go for information given in the question. For example if a question asks you to use up examples from or expenditure only this information or With reference to Fig. 6. 2 . . . STOP and recollect Find out what you are expected to use as examples or get information from. You will not get any marks if you use examples from somewhere else. The information can be given to you in different ways o Diagram like a pabulum web, a narrow down of tool or biological structure. o A graph, which could be a line graph, a bar chart or a histogram. checkout counter the headings and units carefully o A table. encumber the headings and units carefully o You may have to give examples to show that you understand an idea in Biology. After a diagram of a diet web you might be asked to Name an organism from this food web that is a radical winding c onsumer, a 3rd consumers and a producer. To answer this question you have to know definitions of producers, primary consumers, tertiary consumers. Then you have to show that you understand how these terms get into to the food web shown in the diagram. If you put examples from other food webs you have learned, you will not get any marks.After a diagram of leaf structure you may be asked to Describe and exempt the advantage of the dissemination of chloroplasts shown in Fig. 8. 1 To answer this question you have to observe the diagram and withdraw which cells have the most chloroplasts. Then you have to work out why this arrangement might help photosynthesis. If you write answer about what chloroplasts do you will not get any marks. piss or interpret graphs. If you are asked to draw a graph Choose a scale which uses most of the grid. Choose a honest scale, e. g. one dinky square is equal to 1 or 2 or 10 units in the data.Do not give make it hard for by having to work ou t each item in the data by 2/3 o Write the name of the axes and their units, e. g. rate of pee loss/ g per h , temperature/ o C, time/ s o Plot the points exactly using a sharp draw. Draw the points lightly so that you can rub them out if you need to. Make them more definite when you are sure they are right. o utilize a cross (x) or a dot in a go ( ) for your plot points. o Join the points with a line of best couple or a zig -zag line. o Remember that all curves do not have to tie through the point where the two axes meet. Do not prolong you graph beyond the plotted points. If you are asked to read figures from a graph o Make sure you work out the scale. o Make sure you read from the correct axis and put in the units. o If you are asked for a trend or pattern, describe the overall change, e. g. the line increases and then levels. off. Do not describe each point of the graph. Draw or interpret tables If you are asked to draw a table o Use a ruler and a pencil to draw the tabl e. o Write headings for each column or row of the table. 3 o Write in units if they are postulate, e. g. volume of urine/cm , bundle of seed/g. Do not put units in the table spaces where you write numbers. Do calculations. If you are asked to do a calculation o You may have to find the figures from a table or graph. o Make sure that you show the units in the calculation. o Show you working. o If you use a calculator, round up the figures to the kindred as in the question do not copy all the figures after(prenominal) the decimal point, e. g. If the question figures are 5. 6, 4. 6, then your answer should only have one number after the decimal point. Show or make out equalitys. You do not have to know chemical symbols for equations of the processes in biology.But it will help you to understand them if you do. o If you are asked to give each a word or a symbol equation, do not accept symbols and words in the alike answer If you have to give the word equation for anaerobiot ic ventilating system by yeast, write o o Glucose carbon dioxide + neutral spirits + energy If you have to give the chemical equation for anaerobic ventilation system by yeast, write C6H12O6 2C2 H5 OH + 2CO2+ energy Do not write something like glucose CO2 + ethanol and energy Make comparisons. If you are asked to compare two things make sure you make it clear which you are talking about. A question may give to table of data and then ask you about it. Make sure you only use information from the table. e. g. in a table of the composition of normal front milk and foremilk, you can see which milk contains more fat, protein and sugar. Your answers should start with colostrum has more .. than meet milk or breast milk has more than colostrum. Do not put it has more protein. The person scrape cannot guess which you sight had more protein. o The question may ask you to make a comparison about biology you have learned. e. g. the differences between arteries and veins.The clearest way of say is to make your own table. Make sure the headings are clear. Keep the comparisons of the same feature together. Artery has broad wall thick muscle level vein has thin wall very thin muscle A table like the one below will not get any marks as there are no comparisons of the same features. Artery thick wall no valves veins bendable layer petite amount of muscle Extended paper. This means writing several sentences together. e. g. raise what happens if excess nitrogen fertiliser is washed into a stream or pond 4 o The mark scheme used for a question like this will have a list of oints that the person marker your answer will use. o There will be more points than there are marks, so you do not need to put them all in your answer. The points for this question could be algae and aquatic plants amaze faster using the fertiliser. Algae cover the water surface. Light cannot pass to aquatic plants lower down. These plants die. Bacteria of decay give way on the cold pl ants. Bacteria increase in numbers. These bacteria are aerobic. They use up more atomic number 8. There is not enough atomic number 8 for other organisms which brave in the water. These organisms die. The process is called eutrophication. If your answer is something like The fertiliser causes low oxygen and it affects animals in the water. you will not get any marks. The answer is much too vague, in other words it is not precise. I your answer is something like The animals do not have enough oxygen for their respiration and they die. you will get some marks. Paper 2 tips Most of the questions are short answers. This means that you writing mainly one word or one sentence answers worth one mark. 1. time-consuming answers will need two or three sentences. Check the number of marks.Check the number of command words, do you have to do one or two things. Use the lines given. Do not write too much. Check if you are asked for an existent number of answers. notwithstandin g give that number. Use the numbered lines and give one answer per number. There will be a few parts of questions that need extended writing. These will have four 4 or 5 marks. The question will often be related to some information you are given. You will need to write four or quintet sentences in an order that makes sense. You can think of it like telling a story. Remember to refer to any information you are given.Paper 3 tips There is more to read in this paper. Many questions will be one, two or three sentence answers. Check the number of marks. Check the number of command word do you have to do one or two things Check if you are asked for an actual number of answers. Only give that number. Use the numbered lines and give one answer per number. There are questions that may start in one part of the syllabus and tie-in to another, e. g. the information could be about the animals in a particular home ground and what they eat. The first parts of the question might be about t he food chains or food webs which include these animals.Another part of the question could be about the structure of one of the animals or about factors in its environment. You are likely to have questions about events and situations that are new to you. Do not be put off. The question will tell you all you need to know. What you need to do, is show that you can connect the biology you have learned with the new facts. e. g. you may not have learned anything about how cats acquire the length of their fur. o The question tells you that the alleles for fur length are co-dominant. o The question tells you the fur length of pure bred parents are long and short. You know that the offspring of cross breeding are heterozygous for fur length. o You know from your genetics lessons that for features controlled by co-dominant alleles, both alleles are expressed in the offspring. o You know enough to work out that the fur length of the offspring will be medium length. You are likely to be ask ed to interpret unknown data, e. g. result from an test you may not have carried out or could not be carried out in a school. Do not be put off. Follow the same rules as before. There will unceasingly be enough information in the question for you to answer it. General Tips for Practical Papers Look to see how many marks are given for each question. Divide the time of your examination in proportion to the marks given. Whichever paper you do the same rules for put down observations. Use the same rules as in the tips for written papers for tables, graphs, calculations and comparisons. Recording your observations You can record as o statements in writing o as tables o drawings Neat work helps to keep you smooth and feeling in control. Use all the space available on the paper for your observations. Do not write an explanation until the question asks for one. Use a sharp HB or B pencil.It can be rubbed out slow if you need to correct a mistake. Dont lay to rest headings for the columns and the rows or tables or graph axes. Dont forget the units Make drawings as big as the space allows. Use a ruler for labelling lines. brand in pencil. be after investigations Some times you are asked to suggest a way of carrying out an investigation or to improve the method that is in the question paper. When you read through an investigation try to work out three main things 1. What is being changed this is called the independent variable, e. g. light 2. What is being careful this is called the dependent variable, e. . oxygen given off by plant 3. What is being kept the same these are called the standard or control variables, e. g. causa of plant, number of leaves on the plant, environment of plant ,the apparatus used, time for hoard oxygen. Some investigation needs to have two parts o the experimental- which is the apparatus used to measure the process being studied and contains the living organism being tested. o The control. which will be exactly t he same as the experiment except the living organism will be missing or replaced by something non-living. e. g. there would be no plant in one set of apparatus. The control shows that the results are due to the military action of the living organism and is not due to the apparatus or an environmental factor. Tips for paper 5 In paper 5 you are following instructions, using laboratory equipment, making observations, recording results and drawing proofs. Start by reading the undefiled first question. Think about the apparatus needed for each tone and gauge using it in your mind. Check the time to be allowed and imagine following the instructions. Do the same when you are ready to begin the next question. Following the instructions Follow the instructions for practical methods exactly.If you make a change in the method you can spay the results. Do not take short cuts. Always label test organ pipes and other containers to help you remember which is which. If you are told to Wash the apparatus thoroughly after each use make sure you do. If there is anything odd in the apparatus the next stage may not work. If you have to measure a specimen make sure you draw a line on your drawing to show where you made our measurement. You will get marks for following instructions accurately. Recording your observations Do not forget that observations can be seen, heard, felt and smelled. e. g. olour, fizzing, warming, smell of a flower, texture (feel) of a fruit. You can always something to observe, so make sure you record something for each observation. Write down exactly what you observe. e. g. if you add a drop of unity to a drop of starch solution on a white tile, the burnish changes. o You should write the colour changed from yellow to subdued. o If you write it turned black you have not given all the information. o If you add iodine to a drop of water on a white tile. o You should write down the colour stayed yellow. o If you write the colour s tayed the same, or no change, you have left information out.Conclusions Use your own results for your conclusions. Do not write the conclusion you have learned from a class experiment or from theory. E. g. in an investigation you test drops of a diverseness of sodium chloride, amylase and starch solution with iodine erstwhile a minute for eight minutes. Then you extract this with a mixture of water, amylase and starch solutions. o The blue/black colour might dethaw sooner in one test tube than the other. o Even if you know that sodium chloride usually makes amylase work faster, you mustiness write down the results from YOUR investigation. You must draw conclusions from YOUR results. o If the colour in both tubes changes at the same time, the conclusion has to be that the sodium chloride made no difference. That is the correct conclusion drawn from your observations. Tips for paper 6 In this paper you are making observations from information given in the paper, recording resul ts and drawing conclusions. Try to imagine doing the practical which has produced the results in the questions. Recording observations every of your observations are either measurements that you make or diagrams on the paper. Write down exactly what you see.Making measurements Make your measurements as accurate as you can. Measure to the nearby unit e. g. mm. Do not try and guess 0. 5mm. Make sure you put units If you have to make calculations use the blank pages within the paper. Do not write in the margin. Write neatly and show your working. The person marking your paper might be able to give you marks for knowing what to do if you make a mistake or do not finish the calculation. Conclusions Use your measurements or observations or on the results given in the question for your conclusions. Do not rely on something you have learned as the right answer.Examiner Tips for Igcse Biology 0610EXAMINER TIPS for IGCSE Biology 0610 How to use these tips These tips are based on som e common mistakes made by students. They are collected under various subheadings to help you when you prepare for your examinations. Make sure you read all the general tips. These can be important in any of the papers you do. Make sure you know which examination papers you are taking before you look at the tips for the different papers All of you will take paper 1, which is all multiple choice questions. You may be taking paper 2, which is Foundation OR you may be taking paper 3, which is Extended.You may be taking paper 5, which is a practical examination in a laboratory OR you may be taking paper 6 which is a written paper about practical work. General Advice Answering questions. The questions are meant to let you show the biology you know. There are no trick questions. When you are writing your answers remember that another person has to be able to read it. o o o o o o o o Do not waste time by writing out the question before you start to answer. Keep your handwriting clear and legible. Keep you answer in the lines on the question paper.If you write in the margin, at the bottom of a page, or on blank pages, part of your answer might be missed. If you have to cross out something, put a line through, but do not scribble all over it. If you have to use a different space to write another answer to one you have crossed out, then put a note to say where it is, e. g. answer on page 5 Written papers are now marked on computer screen so your written paper will be scanned. If you write on the margin the scanner may not be able to copy this. Try to be precise, in other word be accurate in what you say.Read also Lab 2 BiologyUsing biological terms correctly can help. Do not use word like it, they, effect, affect without any more explanation. A sentence like It has an effect on the body or They affect the process does not say anything. If you use the word it or they think WHAT? If you use the word affect or effect think HOW? e. g. State why magnesium ions are important for healthy plant development. 1 it are needed by the plant is true but too vague. They are needed by the leaves is still too vague Ask yourself What is it or they? What is the need? Magnesium is needed to make chlorophyll is a better answer Magnesium is part of a chlorophyll molecule. Good answer Terms. These are the names used in biology. These will be used in questions. You will get more marks if you can use them correctly in you examination. Ask your teacher if you are unsure of the different meanings between biological terms. o o Try to use the correct spelling. The person marking your answer will try to recognise what word you mean, but if the spelling is too wrong, then they cannot allow you a mark. Some biological terms have very similar spelling.One example is ureter, urethra and uterus. If your mis-spelling is uretus, it could be ureters or uterus. Other common examples are ovum, ova, ovary and ovule, testes and testa sucrose and sucrase. Do not try to mix the spellings of two words when you are not sure which of them is the correct answer, e. g. meitosis, when you are not sure whether the answer is mitosis or meiosis, or urether, when you are not sure if the answer is ureter or urethra. You need to check carefully that you have used the right word when similar terms are used in the same topic , e. g. urea and urine, ureter and urethra. semen and sperm o o Writing in you own words. You sometimes have to write two or more sentences to answer a question. o o Use short sentences. If you write long sentences you can get mixed up. It is hard to find correct statements in a muddled answer. You are often asked to write down something you have learned. Make sure you have learnt the meanings of the common terms used in biology, e. g. photosynthesis, osmosis, fermentation. In the revision checklist there is a list of the terms which you should be able to define. You also need be able to write down the meaning of more complicated ideas, e. g. e vel of organisation, natural selection, global warming, eutrophication. o What you should look for in a question 1) The number of marks. In multiple choice questions there is only one mark for a correct answer. Other sorts of question show how many marks at the end of each part like this 2. The number of marks helps you decide how much to write. The number of marks is a guide to how long to spend on each question or parts of a question. If you allow about 1 minute per mark then you should finish in time to check your answers. Do not waste time and write long answer for a question which has 1.You will only get one mark even if the rest of the answer has correct statements. If there are two or more marks do not write the same thing in two different ways, e. g. The leaf is very large. The leaf has a large surface area. The instructions. These are called command words and tell you what to do. If a question says Show your working when you have to do a calculation, then write down th e stages of your calculation to show how you got your answer. Even if you get the final answer wrong, you may be given a mark for knowing what to do. If a question asks you to Name or State two things only the first two will be marked.Use the numbered lines for your answers if they on the question paper. If you write more than two and the first is correct but the second one is wrong, you will only get the mark for the first one. Even if the third answer is correct, it will not be marked. Some questions have two commands in the question, for example Predict AND Explain . This means you have to say what you think will happen AND then say why you think it will happen. The Revision Checklist has a list of terms used in biology papers to tell you what to do in an answer (section 4. 3 Command words and phrases).General Biology Ii Study Guide (Online Class)Make sure you know what these terms mean. e. g. Name the process by which green plants make sugars, all you need to write for your ans wer is Photosynthesis. A question which asks you to Define photosynthesis, would expect you to write one sentence such as The process by which green plants use light energy to make sugars. What the question is about. Make sure you know which part of your biology is being tested Read the whole of a question carefully before you begin to answer it. Some of the parts have similar answers so you need to work out the difference between them.If you write exactly the same thing in different parts of the same question, then only one of them might be a correct answer. It helps to highlight the main features of a question. e. g. Name the tissue that transports the sugars made by photosynthesis to other parts of the plant. This tells you that you want a one word answer, about plant transport of sugars. Do not be put off the question is about something you have not studied. There will be enough information in the question for you to work out an answer. 2) 3) Look carefully at any diagrams, graphs or tables and make sure you understand what they are about. You may have to use information from them to answer the questions. Answer each question as far as you can. Do not spend a long time staring at a question If you have forgotten something, go on to the next question or part of a question. Come back to the ones you found difficult when you have finished all of the paper. Try not to leave blanks. When you come back to a question you often remember an answer you left out. Do not waste time by writing about things unrelated to the question. Paper 1 Tips Each question tests just one thing.You have about 1 minute to read and answer each question. o Some questions test what you know and understand. For example What part of the eye detects light? o Some questions test if you can use what you have learned to understand new data. These questions will often have a diagram, graph or table to use. Try to decide what the question is testing as you are reading it. o To an swer a question that asks What is a characteristic feature of all living things? o You need to know the characteristic features of living things. If you know a quick way of remembering all seven then you can jot it down on the question paper. . g. MRS GREN for Movement, Respiration, Sensitivity, Growth, Reproduction, Excretion and Nutrition, or the first letters of Real Elephants Grow Massive Red Feet Slowly, o To answer a question that has a diagram of the circulatory system and asks In which vessel will absorbed alcohol first be found? . You need to think about what the question is asking you. Is it about digestion? Is it about excretion (of alcohol)? Is it about the circulation? The question is asking about something absorbed from the gut to be transported, so it is about circulation. Which vessel carries substances absorbed by the gut? Answer The Hepatic Portal Vein. So you have to choose the letter which labels the hepatic portal vein. Do not try to find a pattern in the le tter order of correct answers. o The same letter could be the correct for several answers in a row. o Letter A might be the correct answers for more questions than are B, C or D. Or there could be fewer correct answers shown by letter D than any of the others. o Do not let what you have chosen for the previous questions influence what letter you choose. Written Paper Tips You should read all of a question before you begin to answer it.Different questions will ask you to do different tasks to test how well you know and understand biology. o The topic is usually the same for all different parts of the question. Remember that underlining important words will help you to be clear about what you are being asked to do. o Look for clues in the words of the question. If you see mammal you know that the animals are warm blooded and have biological systems like ours. o If you are only given a Latin name or a name you do not recognise, e. g. dik-dik, look to see if you are told anything abo ut it. If you are told it is a herbivore, then you know it eats plants.The main sort of tasks you might be asked to do are Identify features of cells, tissues organs. For example, label on Fig. 5. 1 using labelling lines, a petal, a sepal and a stamen. To answer this question o You have to know the structure of a flower. o You also have to be able to find the structures on a diagram of a flower you may never have studied. o You then have to draw a label line to the structure and write the name next to the labelling line. If you do not draw a label line, or use and arrow, you may not get any marks even if you have found the correct structures.Use information given in the question. For example if a question asks you to Use examples from or Use only this information or With reference to Fig. 6. 2 . . . STOP and THINK Find out what you are expected to use as examples or get information from. You will not get any marks if you use examples from somewhere else. The information can be give n to you in different ways o Diagram like a food web, a set of apparatus or biological structure. o A graph, which could be a line graph, a bar chart or a histogram. Check the headings and units carefully o A table.Check the headings and units carefully o You may have to give examples to show that you understand an idea in Biology. After a diagram of a food web you might be asked to Name an organism from this food web that is a primary consumer, a tertiary consumers and a producer. To answer this question you have to know definitions of producers, primary consumers, tertiary consumers. Then you have to show that you understand how these terms apply to the food web shown in the diagram. If you put examples from other food webs you have learned, you will not get any marks.After a diagram of leaf structure you may be asked to Describe and explain the advantage of the distribution of chloroplasts shown in Fig. 8. 1 To answer this question you have to observe the diagram and describe which cells have the most chloroplasts. Then you have to work out why this arrangement might help photosynthesis. If you write answer about what chloroplasts do you will not get any marks. Draw or interpret graphs. If you are asked to draw a graph Choose a scale which uses most of the grid. Choose a simple scale, e. g. one small square is equal to 1 or 2 or 10 units in the data.Do not give make it hard for by having to multiply each item in the data by 2/3 o Write the name of the axes and their units, e. g. rate of water loss/ g per h , temperature/ o C, time/ s o Plot the points exactly using a sharp pencil. Draw the points lightly so that you can rub them out if you need to. Make them more definite when you are sure they are right. o Use a cross (x) or a dot in a circle ( ) for your plot points. o Join the points with a line of best fit or a zig -zag line. o Remember that all curves do not have to pass through the point where the two axes meet. Do not extend you graph beyond the plotted points. If you are asked to read figures from a graph o Make sure you work out the scale. o Make sure you read from the correct axis and put in the units. o If you are asked for a trend or pattern, describe the overall change, e. g. the line increases and then levels. off. Do not describe each point of the graph. Draw or interpret tables If you are asked to draw a table o Use a ruler and a pencil to draw the table. o Write headings for each column or row of the table. 3 o Write in units if they are needed, e. g. volume of water/cm , mass of seed/g. Do not put units in the table spaces where you write numbers. Do calculations. If you are asked to do a calculation o You may have to find the figures from a table or graph. o Make sure that you show the units in the calculation. o Show you working. o If you use a calculator, round up the figures to the same as in the question do not copy all the figures after the decimal point, e. g. If the question figures are 5. 6, 4. 6, t hen your answer should only have one number after the decimal point. Show or complete equations. You do not have to know chemical symbols for equations of the processes in biology.But it will help you to understand them if you do. o If you are asked to give either a word or a symbol equation, do not combine symbols and words in the same answer If you have to give the word equation for anaerobic respiration by yeast, write o o Glucose carbon dioxide +ethanol + energy If you have to give the chemical equation for anaerobic respiration by yeast, write C6H12O6 2C2 H5 OH + 2CO2+ energy Do not write something like glucose CO2 + ethanol and energy Make comparisons. If you are asked to compare two things make sure you make it clear which you are talking about. A question may give to table of data and then ask you about it. Make sure you only use information from the table. e. g. in a table of the composition of normal breast milk and colostrum, you can see which milk contains more fat, protein and sugar. Your answers should start with colostrum has more .. than breast milk or breast milk has more than colostrum. Do not put it has more protein. The person marking cannot guess which you thought had more protein. o The question may ask you to make a comparison about biology you have learned. e. g. the differences between arteries and veins.The clearest way of answering is to make your own table. Make sure the headings are clear. Keep the comparisons of the same feature together. Artery has thick wall thick muscle layer vein has thin wall very thin muscle A table like the one below will not get any marks as there are no comparisons of the same features. Artery thick wall no valves veins elastic layer small amount of muscle Extended writing. This means writing several sentences together. e. g. Suggest what happens if excess nitrogen fertiliser is washed into a stream or pond 4 o The mark scheme used for a question like this will have a list of oints that the person marking your answer will use. o There will be more points than there are marks, so you do not need to put them all in your answer. The points for this question could be Algae and aquatic plants grow faster using the fertiliser. Algae cover the water surface. Light cannot pass to aquatic plants lower down. These plants die. Bacteria of decay feed on the dead plants. Bacteria increase in numbers. These bacteria are aerobic. They use up more oxygen. There is not enough oxygen for other organisms which live in the water. These organisms die. The process is called eutrophication. If your answer is something like The fertiliser causes low oxygen and it affects animals in the water. you will not get any marks. The answer is much too vague, in other words it is not precise. I your answer is something like The animals do not have enough oxygen for their respiration and they die. you will get some marks. Paper 2 tips Most of the questions are short answers. This means that yo u writing mainly one word or one sentence answers worth one mark. 1. Longer answers will need two or three sentences. Check the number of marks.Check the number of command words, do you have to do one or two things. Use the lines given. Do not write too much. Check if you are asked for an actual number of answers. Only give that number. Use the numbered lines and give one answer per number. There will be a few parts of questions that need extended writing. These will have four 4 or 5 marks. The question will often be related to some information you are given. You will need to write four or five sentences in an order that makes sense. You can think of it like telling a story. Remember to refer to any information you are given.Paper 3 tips There is more to read in this paper. Many questions will be one, two or three sentence answers. Check the number of marks. Check the number of command word do you have to do one or two things Check if you are asked for an actual number of answ ers. Only give that number. Use the numbered lines and give one answer per number. There are questions that may start in one part of the syllabus and link to another, e. g. the information could be about the animals in a particular habitat and what they eat. The first parts of the question might be about the food chains or food webs which include these animals.Another part of the question could be about the structure of one of the animals or about factors in its environment. You are likely to have questions about events and situations that are new to you. Do not be put off. The question will tell you all you need to know. What you need to do, is show that you can connect the biology you have learned with the new facts. e. g. you may not have learned anything about how cats inherit the length of their fur. o The question tells you that the alleles for fur length are co-dominant. o The question tells you the fur length of pure bred parents are long and short. You know that the offspri ng of cross breeding are heterozygous for fur length. o You know from your genetics lessons that for features controlled by co-dominant alleles, both alleles are expressed in the offspring. o You know enough to work out that the fur length of the offspring will be medium length. You are likely to be asked to interpret unfamiliar data, e. g. result from an experiment you may not have carried out or could not be carried out in a school. Do not be put off. Follow the same rules as before. There will always be enough information in the question for you to answer it. General Tips for Practical Papers Look to see how many marks are given for each question. Divide the time of your examination in proportion to the marks given. Whichever paper you do the same rules for recording observations. Use the same rules as in the tips for written papers for tables, graphs, calculations and comparisons. Recording your observations You can record as o statements in writing o as tables o drawings Neat work helps to keep you calm and feeling in control. Use all the space available on the paper for your observations. Do not write an explanation until the question asks for one. Use a sharp HB or B pencil.It can be rubbed out easily if you need to correct a mistake. Dont forget headings for the columns and the rows or tables or graph axes. Dont forget the units Make drawings as big as the space allows. Use a ruler for labelling lines. Label in pencil. Planning investigations Some times you are asked to suggest a way of carrying out an investigation or to improve the method that is in the question paper. When you read through an investigation try to work out three main things 1. What is being changed this is called the independent variable, e. g. light 2. What is being measured this is called the dependent variable, e. . oxygen given off by plant 3. What is being kept the same these are called the standard or control variables, e. g. type of plant, number of leaves on the plant, environment of plant ,the apparatus used, time for collecting oxygen. Some investigation needs to have two parts o the experimental- which is the apparatus used to measure the process being studied and contains the living organism being tested. o The control. which will be exactly the same as the experiment except the living organism will be missing or replaced by something non-living. e. g. there would be no plant in one set of apparatus. The control shows that the results are due to the activity of the living organism and is not due to the apparatus or an environmental factor. Tips for paper 5 In paper 5 you are following instructions, using laboratory equipment, making observations, recording results and drawing conclusions. Start by reading the entire first question. Think about the apparatus needed for each step and imagine using it in your mind. Check the time to be allowed and imagine following the instructions. Do the same when you are ready to begin the nex t question. Following the instructions Follow the instructions for practical methods exactly.If you make a change in the method you can alter the results. Do not take short cuts. Always label test tubes and other containers to help you remember which is which. If you are told to Wash the apparatus thoroughly after each use make sure you do. If there is anything left in the apparatus the next stage may not work. If you have to measure a specimen make sure you draw a line on your drawing to show where you made our measurement. You will get marks for following instructions accurately. Recording your observations Do not forget that observations can be seen, heard, felt and smelled. e. g. olour, fizzing, warming, smell of a flower, texture (feel) of a fruit. You can always something to observe, so make sure you record something for each observation. Write down exactly what you observe. e. g. if you add a drop of iodine to a drop of starch solution on a white tile, the colour c hanges. o You should write the colour changed from yellow to black. o If you write it turned black you have not given all the information. o If you add iodine to a drop of water on a white tile. o You should write down the colour stayed yellow. o If you write the colour stayed the same, or no change, you have left information out.Conclusions Use your own results for your conclusions. Do not write the conclusion you have learned from a class experiment or from theory. E. g. in an investigation you test drops of a mixture of sodium chloride, amylase and starch solution with iodine once a minute for eight minutes. Then you repeat this with a mixture of water, amylase and starch solutions. o The blue/black colour might disappear sooner in one test tube than the other. o Even if you know that sodium chloride usually makes amylase work faster, you must write down the results from YOUR investigation. You must draw conclusions from YOUR results. o If the colour in both tubes changes at the same time, the conclusion has to be that the sodium chloride made no difference. That is the correct conclusion drawn from your observations. Tips for paper 6 In this paper you are making observations from information given in the paper, recording results and drawing conclusions. Try to imagine doing the practical which has produced the results in the questions. Recording observations All of your observations are either measurements that you make or diagrams on the paper. Write down exactly what you see.Making measurements Make your measurements as accurate as you can. Measure to the nearest unit e. g. mm. Do not try and guess 0. 5mm. Make sure you put units If you have to make calculations use the blank pages within the paper. Do not write in the margin. Write neatly and show your working. The person marking your paper might be able to give you marks for knowing what to do if you make a mistake or do not finish the calculation. Conclusions Use your measurements or observ ations or on the results given in the question for your conclusions. Do not rely on something you have learned as the right answer.